Apparatus for closing valve bags

ABSTRACT

THE PRESENT INVENTION RELATES TO AN APPARATUS FOR CLOSING A VALVE ON VALVED BAGS WHICH ARE FED ON A CONVEYOR WITH THE VALVED END FIRST AS SEEN IN THE FEEDING DIRECTION WITH THE VALVE OPENING TURNED TO ONE SIDE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A STOP ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED INTO THE MOVEMENT PATH OF THE BAGE, SAID STOP ADAPTED, WHEN IN INSERTED POSITION, TO CONSTITUTE AN ABUTMENT FOR THE FRONT END OF THE BAGS AT A PLACE AT SOME DISTANCE FROM THE OPENING END OF THE VALVE SO AS TO EXPOSE THE VALVE OPENING, AND A DEVICE FOR SPRAYING A BINDING AGENT INTO THE VALVE OPENING. THE MAIN FEATURE OF THE INVENTION IS TO BE SEEN IN A CARRIAGE ADAPTED TO BE MOVED BACK AND FORTH ABOVE AND PARALLEL TO THE CONVEYOR, SAID CARRIAGE PROVIDED WITH SAID STOP AND SAID SPRAYING DEVICE FOR THE BINDING AGENT AND SAID CARRIAGE ADAPTED TO BE MOVED WITH A SPEED IN FORWARD DIRECTION WHICH IS SOMEWHAT LOWER THAN THE SPEED OF THE CONVEYOR.

1971 E. G. KAPARE APPARATUS FOR CLOSING VALVE BAGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb.. 7, 1969 ERIK GUNNAR KAPARE,

INVENTOR. BY Maui/ML xii Maui Attorneys Jan. 19, 1971 E. G. KAPARE APPARATUS FOR CLOSING VALVE BAGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 7, 1969 INVENTOR. BYUuJmoflJmv mulll,

ERIK GUNNAR KAPARE,

, Attorneys Jan. 19, 1 E. s. KAPARE APPARATUS FOR CLOSING VALVE BAGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Feb. 7 1969 ERIK GUNNAR KAPARE, INVENTOR. UMjlnfl.%Ljd-I M,k

Attorneys United States Patent 3,555,778 APPARATUS FOR CLOSING VALVE BAGS Erik Gunnar Kapare, Goteborg, Sweden, assignor to Billernds Aktiebolag, Saflle, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Feb. 7, 1969, Ser. No. 797,453 Claims priority, application Sweden, Feb. 9, 1968, 1,714/68 Int. Cl. B65b 7/02 US. Cl. 53-371 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to an apparatus for closing a valve on valved bags which are fed on a conveyor with the valved end first as seen in the feeding direction with the valve opening turned to one side, said apparatus comprising a stop adapted to be inserted into the movement path of the bags, said stop adapted, when in inserted position, to constitute an abutment for the front end of the bags at a place at some distance from the opening end of the valve so as to expose the valve opening, and a device for spraying a binding agent into the valve opening. The main feature of the invention is to be seen in a carriage adapted to be moved back and forth above and parallel to the conveyor, said carriage provided with said stop and said spraying device for the binding agent and said carriage adapted to be moved with a speed in forward direction which is somewhat lower than the speed of the conveyor.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for closing a valve, preferably provided with a closing flap, on valve bags filled with goods, these bags being advanced with the valved end first as seen in the feeding direction and with the valve opening turned to one side. The apparatus comprises a stop to be inserted into the movement path of the bags, said stop adapted, when inserted into the path, to serve as an abutment for the front end of the bags at a place at some distance from the opening end of the valve to expose the valve opening, and a device for the injection of a binding agent into the valve opening.

The main feature of the invention is to be seen therein that the stop and the injector for the binding agent are arranged on a carirage which is displaceable back and forth above and parallel to the conveyor, said carriage being adapted to be displaced forwardly with a speed somewhat lower than the speed of the conveyor. Such a device renders possible a continuous and fully automatic closing of the bags and the feeding speed of the conveyor may be as high as 40-50 meters per minute or more.

The invention will now be elucidated with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically from above a movement scheme for the bags on the conveyor of apparatus,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an apparatus according to the invention with the carriage in start position,

FIG. 3 is a similar view but with the carriage in a front end position,

FIGS. 4 and 5 are side elevation corrresponding to FIGS. 2 and 3, and

FIG. 6 shows on an enlarged scale a vertical section on the line VI-VI in FIG. 1.

To facilitate the understanding the closing of the bags will now first be explained with reference to FIG. 1. The filled bags 2 are laid on a conveyor, preferably a band conveyor 1, in such a way that the opening 3 of the bag valve 4 is turned to one side (according to FIG.

3,555,778 Patented Jan- 19, 1971 1 the upper side). At some place above the conveyor 1 an abutment 5 is lowered in such a way that the bag with the inner part of the valve flap 6 hits the stop, the flap with its free end being bent in forward direction from its seat 7 such that the valve opening 3 is enlarged. A binding agent is then injected by means of a spray gun 8 moving in the feeding direction with the same speed as the stop 5. Adjacent the final end (the right hand end according to FIG. 1) of the conveyor 1 the valve flap 6 is pressed against the seat 7 by means of an abutment against an arm 9 which can be lowered down into the path of the bag such that the flap is glued to said seat 7 and thus the bag is closed.

As obvious from FIGS. 2-5 a carriage 13 is, on the stand 10 of the apparatus, displaceable back and forth above the conveyor 1 by means of a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 11, 12. The carriage 13 carries a twoarmed lever 17 which is swingable about a shaft 14 by means of an hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 15, 16 and the lower arm of the lever 17 can be moved down into the movement path of the bags 2 on the conveyor 1 and constitutes said stop 5. The carriage also carries the spray gun 8 which as obvious from FIG. 6, could be swung about a shaft 21 on the carriage 13 by means of an hydraulic piston and cylinder unit, 18, 19 via a lever 20 in such a way that the mouth piece 22 of the gun will describe a circular are 2.3 in a vertical plane in front of the valve 3 on a bag 2 which at that moment is situated in front of the mouth piece. Further, the carriage 13 carries a guide 24 which at the displacement of the carriage actuates an electric contact 25 which is coupled in series with another electric contact 26, the latter actuated by the lever 20 as will be described in detail further below.

Adjacent the farmost end (the right hand end accord ing to the drawings) of the conveyor 1 there is, on the stand 10, journalled about a shaft 27 a two-armed lever 28 the lower arm of which constitutes said abutment arm 9 and which by means of an hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 29, 30 can be swung in a vertical plane.

The bags filled by means of the valve 4 are fed on the conveyor with a mutual distance of about the length of two bags. When a bag with its front end abuts against the lowered stop 5 and then hits the inner end of the vertical flap 6, the central portion of the bag end will be bent in somewhat and the flap is bent forwards with its free end. At the same time hydraulic medium is fed into the rear end of the cylinder 12 and the piston 11 pushes the carriage 13 forwards. The feeding speed of the conveyor 1 is chosen a little higher than the speed of the carriage which means that the vault formed at the front end of the bag by means of the stop 5 is enlarged and thus also the valve opening 3 is enlarged. When the guide rail 24 reaches the electric contact 25, the latter closes the circuit to the electric contact 26 which normally is closed. By means of coupling means, not shown in the drawings, hydraulic medium is fed at the front end of the cylinder 19' which causes the lever 20 and the spray gun 8 to be swung in counter clockwise direction about the shaft 21 from the position shown with unbroken lines to the position shown by means of dash and dot lines. At the same time a suitable quantity of a binding agent is sprayed out of the mouth piece 22 and into the valve opening 3 where the binding agent hits the inside of the flap 6 and/or the seat 7. In the closed position of the lever.20 the latter opens the contact 26 and then the circuit is cut off, the spraying of binding agent ceases and the piston 18 and the gun 8 return to their original positions. The spray gun 8 is of the so called hot-melt-type i.e. it is provided with a device for heating the quick-drying binding agent which is pressed through the mouthpiece as a string.

When the spraying of binding agent has ceased, the stop is swung upwards by forcing of hydraulic medium into the front end of the cylinder 16 and thus frees the bag 2 which by the conveyor 1 is moved to the lever 9. When the valve flap 6 abuts the lever 9, it is pressed against the seat 7 and closes thereby the valve 4 by means of the binding agent. The hydraulic medium is introduced at the free end of the cylinder 30 and the lever 9 is swung upwards in counter clockwise direction and the bag, now completely closed, leaves the apparatus for possibly being further conveyed on a loading conveyor 31 connected to the conveyor 1.

When the carriage 13 has returned to its start position and the stop 5 again has been lowered, the apparatus is ready for closing the next bag 2.

Most of the couplings which at predetermined positions of the carriage 13 give impulses for a feeding of pressure medium to the different cylinders 12, 16, 1'9, and 30 and the ducts to and from the latter have not been shown to avoid an unnecessary complication of the drawings.

The invention has been described in the aforegoing for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be restricted by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims. The carriage 13 does not have to be provided with a separate driving means. It may instead be advanced by the bag conveyed on the conveyor 1 at a compression of a return spring. The counter pressure exerted by said spring for the return of the carriage to its start position with the stop 5 pressing against the front end of the bag 2 is probably sufiicient for producing said pressing in of the central portion of this bag end to open the valve 4. The lever 9 may be provided with a stamp pad for the application of a mark on the front end of the bag 2. When the conveyor 1 comprises a chain conveyor or two parallel running bands which between them form a longitudinal slot, it is possible to let the carriage 13 run below the conveyor and make such an arrangement that the stop 5 acts from below into the movement path of the bags 2. The denomination carriage is intended to include also a sled.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for closing a valve on valved bags which are fed on a conveyor with the valved end first as seen in the feeding direction with the valve opening turned to one side, said apparatus comprising a stop adapted to be inserted into the movement path of the path of the bags, said stop adapted, when in inserted position, to constitute an abutment for the front end of the bags at a place at some distance from the opening end of the valve so as to expose the valve opening, and a device for spraying a binding agent into the valve opening, wherein the improvement comprises a carriage adapted to be moved back and forth above and parallel to the conveyor, said carriage provided with said stop and said spraying device for the binding agent and said carriage adapted to be moved with a speed in forward direction which is somewhat lower than the speed of the conveyor.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim .1, wherein the improvement comprises a spraying device for the binding agent which at the discharge of the binding agent is adapted to be swung in a vertical plane which perpendicularly crosses the vertical longitudinal medium plane of the conveyor.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stop is adapted to be brought out of the movement path of the bags near the front end point of movement of the carriage. I i

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the improvement comprises an arm for closing the valve, said arm adapted to be lowered into the movement path of the bags in front of the valve.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,996,858 8/1961 Swenson 53-671X 3,191,360 6/ 1966 Meissner 5 3-383 FOREIGN PATENTS 653,335 5/1951 Great Britain 5-3 371 875,084 8/1961 Great Britain 53383 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner R. L. SPRUILL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

